Book Review for Parents and Grandparents of young children and the young at heart...

As a preschool teacher and children's librarian, I am always on the look out for fun books that will have the children cheering "Read it again!". Although it is sometimes trying for us adults to "Read it again" for the third or fourth time, the repetition is so enriching for the children. That is why I like books that are enjoyable for me as well! One of my first suggestions and one of my favorites is "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus*" by Mo Willems. This book is

interactive, which is helpful for language development, in that the bus driver leaves the readers in charge of making sure the pigeon doesn't drive the bus. The pigeon is hilarious as he tries to get the readers to "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!".

Have fun when you read this to your children by hamming up the pigeon, When the words are all caps, remember to be really loud. Your kids will love it! The pigeon is featured in other books as well. "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!*", "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy*", "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late*", and "The Pigeon Has Feelings Too!*" are just as cute, so you might want to check them out as well.

Another suggestion is "Bear Snores On*", by Karma Wilson. In this book, Bear is sleeping in his lair thru the winter and even though several guests come into his cave, "the bear snores on". The illustrations are adorable and the rhyming text makes the book a great read-aloud for your children. "Bear" is featured in a few more books such as "Bear Wants More*" and "Bear Stays Up for Christmas*." Your children will want you to read to them as well. Don't forget to encourage your children to help "read" the phrase "but the bear snores on!" They, and you, will have so much fun saying the verse quietly when the words are tiny and then getting louder as the words get bigger!

Reading to your children is one of the best ways to help them have success in school, so pick some books you'll both enjoy reading again and again!

*These are links to our catalog. Click on the titles to request a copy!